Clear Skies & Sun On Thursday, Arctic Front Arrives This Weekend

Happy New Year! Lots of sunshine and cooler temps to start 2025!

Winter is making its presence known this weekend as a strong Arctic front sweeps into Oklahoma.

While this system won’t rival the historic cold of 2021, it’s a reminder of how quickly freezing conditions can disrupt daily life.

What is the weather like on Thursday?

Expect clear skies today with a chilly morning in the 20s.

A weak cold front is headed our way and will move in this afternoon.

Highs today climb into the 50s.

We drop into the 20s and are back into the 40s for highs tonight.

What does the rest of the week look like?

The winter storm this weekend is still on track for the Plains.

How To Prepare For Freezing Weather

On Saturday, temperatures will climb into the 50s and 60s ahead of the front.

The south winds will increase ahead of our next storm. This will ramp up the moisture and bring in a low cloud deck.

Showers and drizzle are expected across much of the state, with a chance of light freezing rain or sleet in northwest Oklahoma.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, areas in the northwest may see a wintry mix transitioning to snow.

As the arctic air arrives on Sunday, temperatures will plummet. We will drop into the 20s by the afternoon.

Precipitation will change from light rain to freezing rain, then sleet, then snow.

By Sunday afternoon, most precipitation will taper off, leaving behind frigid conditions.

Central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, is likely to see light rain with minimal risk of snow or ice accumulation.

Northern parts of the state, especially near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, could receive a trace to an inch of snow.

If we end up with travel impacts it will be limited to this part of the state.

We will all feel the cold! Wind chills near 0 Monday morning. We will have trackers out and keep you updated as the storm arrives.

The good news is that this Arctic blast will be brief. Milder weather is expected to return by midweek, with highs climbing into the 40s and 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

2024 Weather Recap:

Weather Blog: Oklahoma's 2024 Severe Weather Season Breaks Records

This year brought Oklahoma a mix of highs and lows in weather trends:

1. Snowfall: Oklahoma City recorded just 3.4 inches of snow this year, well below the average of 7.6 inches. We had small amounts in January, February, and March but nothing major.
2. Rainfall: On the flip side, it was a wetter-than-average year with 37.11 inches of rain—three-quarters of an inch above normal. November stood out as the wettest month of the year, with a historic rainfall total, while August also brought significant amounts.
3. Severe Weather: Oklahoma saw 152 tornadoes in 2024, beating the 149 record set in 2020. Among the most active counties were Roger Mills and Ottawa, with six tornadoes each. While there were no EF-5 tornadoes, two EF-4s caused devastating impacts to several communities. 196 tornado warnings were issued statewide, the highest number in the nation for 2024.
4. 988 severe thunderstorm warnings covered every square inch of Oklahoma at some point during the year.

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